


Hope

by EquusGirl (EquusGirl0621)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Nightmares, Parent-Child Relationship, Sorry Not Sorry, theres so much angst guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 17:14:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21591973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EquusGirl0621/pseuds/EquusGirl
Summary: When four year-old Ben has a nightmare, Leia and Han are there to comfort him.
Relationships: Ben Solo & Han Solo, Leia Organa & Ben Solo, Leia Organa/Han Solo
Comments: 9
Kudos: 69
Collections: Fridays with Flydam





	Hope

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Flydam Friday's prompt, _embrace_. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope, it's just me back on my angsty bullshit.
> 
> A big thank you to Ksco for just being an awesome friend and inspiration.
> 
> This is unbeta'd and barely edited. I apologize for any mistakes; I really ought to be sleeping and just wanted to post this.

Ben’s fear yanked Leia out of a deep sleep, her heart pounding and a nasty feeling twisting through her stomach. She was down the hall and through his door before he let out the most blood curdling scream. The sound strangled her heart and she had to remind herself to keep her feelings in check lest they flowed through the Force and only added to her son’s distress. 

_”I’m here,”_ she whispered, reverting back to her native Alderaanian as she gathered her son into her arms. _”My hope, I’m here.”_ She cradled him against her chest, pushing his damp hair back from his face as he finally opened his eyes. _”It was just a dream, my hope,”_ she said, smiling softly. Ben blinked and buried his face in her neck, his little hands clutching her braid and holding it to his chest.

“Mama.” How could there be so much anguish in his voice? He was too young to be so upset. She rubbed soothing circles into his back, gathering as much loving and calm energy as she could manage and wrapping it around him through their bond. Anything to get those sobs to stop. Anything to stem the flow of fear currently emanating from him in waves. 

She looked up as Han appeared in the doorway, rubbing his eyes as he walked over and sat on the opposite side of the bed. 

“I’ve got him if you want to go back to bed,” she said, giving her husband a small smile. 

“Nah, s’okay.” He reached over and cradled the back of their son’s head. “Bad dream buddy?” Ben’s sobs quieted somewhat as he shifted to look at his father. He nodded. Han hunched down so he was eye level with the boy. “Wanna tell us about it?” Leia’s heart swelled with love for her husband; she wasn’t sure what she would do without Han. 

“There was-” Ben struggled to speak past his own ragged breathing. “A monster.” An image flashed in Leia’s mind, a humanoid man, scarred and deformed and pale as death. A chill raced down her spine and she forcefully pushed down her own worries. Ben needed her to be calm. She held onto him tighter. “He told me things.” Han’s eyes flicked up to hers briefly, sharing a concerned look with her before returning his to Ben.

“Yeah?” Han prompted. As much her heart might ache for their son, she couldn’t help the small smile as she considered Han. He was so _good_ , so patient. So caring. The way he looked at Ben so intently, like the boy was the only being in the galaxy. 

“Mean things.” Leia squeezed her eyes shut, resting her cheek atop Ben’s head. _My baby boy._

“Like what?” Ben was silent for a while, shifting in her arms and wriggling his fingers through the strands of her braid. Leia resisted the urge to look into his mind and pull them out for herself. “S’okay, you can tell us,” Han murmured, reaching up to brush his knuckles against Ben’s cheek. 

“He...he.” His breathing became more ragged and his tiny shoulders heaved. 

_”We’re here, my hope,”_ Leia murmured, pressing a kiss into his hair. What else was there to say? She hated it when people told her it was okay; nothing was ever okay in these moments. How did Han make it seem it so simple? He always seemed to know what to do. What to say. _”We’re here.”_ Because that’s all she could promise her son.

“Y’don’t have to tell us,” Han said reassuringly. Ben nodded, relaxing back into Leia’s embrace. 

“Can I sleep with you tonight? Please?” His voice was so small and she didn’t need the Force to pick up on his fear. She shared a look with Han, knowing that neither of them could say ‘no’.

Han’s mouth quirked up into that familiar lopsided grin. “‘Course.”

Several minutes later and Ben was settled in bed with them, curled into a ball with his back pressed against Han’s chest. He reached out for Leia’s hand, grasping it between his two small ones and holding it to his chest. She shifted closer, twining her legs with Han’s as she settled in and closed her eyes.

Ben’s small voice broke the quiet once more. “Will you always love me?” Leia struggled to control her expression, to keep a hold on her emotions. 

“Of course,” Han said, speaking before she could even wrap her mind around Ben’s question. And the way he said it, with such intense assuredness, he could have said the sun was a black hole and she would’ve believed him. 

“Even if I do a bunch of bad things?” Ben fingers ran over the Corusca gem in Leia’s promise ring, fidgeting with it like he always did. 

She twisted her hand in his so she could grasp one of his hands. “We will always love you, no matter what,” she said, squeezing his hand gently. _”Always, my hope.”_

Ben was quiet for a while, the corners of his mouth turned down and his brow furrowed as he studied his mother’s rings. “He’s telling me to do bad things,” he whispered, so softly Leia barely caught it. Her heart clenched and her gaze flew up to meet Han’s. She wanted to take Ben into her arms again and shield him from whatever was going on his head. 

Han’s arm around Ben tightened. “You always have a choice, Starfighter,” he said with the same unwavering certainty. “You don’t have to do what he says. He can’t hurt you.” 

“Promise?” Ben twisted so he could look between his parents. 

“Promise.”

_”I promise.”_

Ben considered them for a moment before nodding seriously and settling back into Han’s chest. With a soft sigh, he finally relaxed and closed his eyes, tucking Leia’s hand beneath his chin. 

“We love you, _uncer turhaya_.” Han murmured, using the the Old Corellian term of endearment. _Our bright star._

“I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I hope you enjoyed that as much I as I enjoyed writing it. I do love some Organa-Solo family feels.... 
> 
> (Random side note: I reached my goal and finished this in under 1k. I cannot tell you how ridiculously proud I am of myself.)
> 
> Feel free to yell at me [on Tumblr](https://equusgirl.tumblr.com).


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